Lutens & L'Artisan: Setting the Score Straight on Discontinuations

It was with some disappointment that I received the latest newsletter from a (very popular) niche online boutique stating "We managed to secure a small amount of some of our favorites which are sadly being discontinued. This is it...so if you like 'em...get 'em now." They then went on to depict three fragrances: one from Serge Lutens, two from L'Artisan Parfumeur.

You're asking which ones? Well, the Lutens is Five o'clock au Gingembre. But the rumour isn't 100% true: The fragrance still appears prominently on the official Lutens page for sale. They have moved other things from export range to exclusive range etc. ~which I had reported here a long while ago as I do with all cutting edge Lutens perfume news~ and were confirmed by official Lutens mail later on, so it makes sense that they would act on it promptly. They had in all other cases.
Bottom line: I wouldn't rush into a panic just yet. There's plenty of stock left (it's a slow seller) everywhere.

But regarding the L'Artisan fragrances the plot thickens: The distributor site mentions a 135$ price for a 100ml bottle each for Navegar and Tea for Two. Even though Tea for Two is indeed getting discontinued, as first reported on Perfume Shrine (and Navegar is not long for this world either), there is actually a sale going on on L'Artisan's official site right now, mentioning a 35GBP for 100ml for Navegar! No Tea for Two available sadly (though you could find it elsewhere, I bet), but I'd say that's a huge difference to pay with the "bait" of "we secured a small amount of discontinued fragrance"...For shame.

Feel free to vote with your wallet.

The winner of the draw...

...for the Dark Passage purse bottle is TimeaZsofia. Congratulations and please email me using the Contact address with our shipping data so I can have this out in the mail for you soon. Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation and till the next one!

Why Are Celebrity Perfumes Still Popular?

Back a while ago I really thought the trend for celebrity scents (i.e.scents coat-tailing on the success of a celebrity brand name to which they're designed as an accessory) was dying. Boy, was I wrong! There are more celebrity scents coming out each season and it stands to reason people must be actually buying all this stuff for the companies to keep churning out more and more. (The latest, Nicole, comes from Nicole Richie who credits her mother's layering of a hundred scented products as its inspiration, which is scary sounding enough). But WHY are they?

"Like their wearers, these fragrances are not sophisticated, nor are they complicated. In fact they are scented with the same formulae used in shampoos and deodorant body sprays, according to perfume evaluator Erica Moore of Michael Edwards Fragrances of the World. ''They're immensely popular and very successful,'' she says. ''They're affordable. They've brought fine fragrance to a market that is not sophisticated.'' Moore says young women find their fragrance style by experimenting with these types of perfumes. But they also want a bargain.

 ''Parallel market'' fragrances are flourishing, according to beauty market analyst Jo-Anne Mason. ''It's dumped stock and coming in really cheap,'' she says. ''It's a grey market. It is legal. They're buying it out of Dubai. It could have been sitting there in a hot, unairconditioned warehouse for a year. (Cosumers) don't know; they don't think about it - they just look at the price.''

 Quotes from a longer article on the Sydney Morning Herald

And on to YOU to discuss in the comments:
 Do you find that you had been attracted by these scents when you were younger and have moved on? Do you find that there are exceptions to every rule and you have found a celebrity scent to claim your own? Does associating a perfume composition which sounds intriguing with a celebrity name crush your hopes for interesting juice? Or not?

 Hearing you out in the comment section!

Manifesto by YSL: new fragrance fronted by Jessica Chastain

"Yves Saint Laurent is a brand that inspires me deeply. Since its creation, the brand has conveyed strong values that I cherish, such as an unwavering commitment, absolute love and feminine audacity. This new fragrance [Manifesto] is an emblem of it all. I am [excited] to be part of this beautiful adventure," said Jessica Chastain on WWD, the actress being mostly famous for being Oscar-nominated for her part in The Help and her acclaimed turn in The Tree of Life beside Brad Pitt.

Chastain follows British actress Emily Blunt into fronting an YSL perfume as its face, after the latter's turn as an Opium acolyte. Stephan Bezy, international general manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté at L'Oréal, stated that it was Chastain's "subtle strength", "solar charm" and "free mind" that drew her to the attention of YSL. "Jessica embodies the quintessence of Saint Laurent's femininity, a woman of her day and age, independent, determined, never where you expect her to be," he continued. The brand has recently changed its official name from Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent Paris, effectively ruining one of the most perfect logos in fashion history. But I digress.

 Manifesto by Saint Laurent is a new fruity floral fragrance for women, set out to launch in September 2012 in France and invading the rest of Europe and the world at the end of the year and into the early 2013. The fragrance shares its name with the YSL photo periodical started by former creative director Stefano Pilati in 2008.

  Fragrance Notes for Manifesto by YSL:
Top Notes: Black Currant
Middle Notes: Jasmine, Lily of the Valley
Base Notes: Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Cedar, Sandalwood

 photo via fashionologie.com

Burr Reveals Unnamed Scent SO1EO1 at OpenSky

Tomorrow Friday, June 29, Chandler will be revealing the scent of the S01E01 we had reported about on these pages.  Live at 12noon EST onOpenSky.com/chandlerburr, he will reveal the scent in addition to explaining why he chose it and history behind the brand.  Chandler will then open up the discussion and answer questions and comments live through his Facebook feed on his OpenSky profile. 


Don't forget to also check our very own revelation of the winner of the Tauer perfume draw tomorrow on the blog!

Perfumery Material: Heliotrope

Among the most popular and beloved notes in perfumes, heliotrope evokes images of goose down comfort, almondy yumminess, fluffiness and powdery goodness. A pliable note, despite its characteristic odor profile, it can twist slightly here or there. Coupled with violets and iris it gains on intensity reminiscent of retro talcum powder; embraced by bitter almond, vanilla or frangipani, it gains on a mouth-watering quality that is delectable, like a billowy dessert you can't resist. A high pitched and curiously deep, at the same time, smell, this fascinating butterfly-attracting plant is but the introduction to a delightful and ubiquitous perfumery material.

Arcane Connections

The name comes from the Greek words "Helios" (the sun) and "tropein" (turning), denoting the propensity for turning towards solar rays. Thus is explained the old English name "turnsole" (via the French "tournesol"). But apart from the plant and its delicious scent, it also refers to a purple-pink shade of color: the first use in that regard recorded in English comes from 1882.

Allied to puccoon, forget-me-not, and beggar's lice, the heliotrope comprises 100 kinds of varieties throughout the world's warmer zones. The fragrant garden heliotropes have sprung from two species only though: One is native to India, the other to Peru. The most usual heliotrope variety grown is heliotropium arborescens, like its name suggests resembling a small tree. Garden heliotrope has been a constant feature since at least the Victorian times, thanks to its delicious scent that oscillates between marzipan, vanilla, cherry pie and almond (hence its alternative name "cherry pie flower"). Indeed vanilla essential oil contains an amount of piperonal (heliotropin) in its composite, drawing the two close. It comes as no surprise that in mythology heliotrope is associated to the god Apollo, god of the sun and of the light. Hence the plant's connection to healing, prophetic dreams and exorcism. Apollo was the pre-eminent god of insight, bestowing his gift of prophecy to his acolytes and to the oracle of Delphi.

How Heliotrope Notes are Created in Perfumes 

Both maceration and enfleurage (enrobing blossoms in clarified fat and then treating the fat with volatile solvents in order to catch the pure essence of the flower) yield heliotrope essence from heliotrope peruvianum, but it is neither sufficient nor totally accurate. A Japanese study from 1995 identified some odoriferous components as major components in the flowers, such as benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde and benzyl acetate, but these notes do not comprise the scent of the flowers adequately. On the contrary 3,4-          methylenedioxybenzaldehyde (heliotropin) does smell like heliotrope flowers, to an adequate degree, although the ingredient is not actually found in the blossoms' scent profile!

Therefore in perfume formulae, heliotrope is routinely replicated with heliotropin. Also known as piperonal or oil of sassafras, heliotropin derives from sassafras indeed (Sassafras albidum) and has been in wide demand for perfume and soaps for decades, especially for reasons of cost. The odour profile is powdery, like vanilla meringue with a helping of almond. The characteristic comforting scent of heliotrope has been proven to induce feelings of relaxation and comfort, a pampering atmosphere that finds itself very suited to languorous oriental fragrances and delicious "gourmands" (i.e. fragrances that recall culinary desserts by their scent).

Teaching your Nose into Recognizing Heliotrope Notes

To get an education in heliotrope notes in perfumery one needs to look no further than classic Guerlain fragrances: From Guerlain's ultra rare Heliotrope extrait from 1890 to the ethereal Après L'Ondée (1908), which is mainly the pairing of warm heliotropin with cool and shy violets, and the troubling yet nostalgic L'heure Bleue (1912) ~which pairs the vanillic facet of heliotropin with anise on top, soft flowers in the heart (violet and carnation) and benzoin, iris and Tonka bean in the base to compliment the floral-oriental character~ Guerlain is the definitive house for heliotrope.

 It was therefore a fitting homage that perfumer Jean Claude Ellena was reinterpreting Après L'Ondée in a modern context when he created L'Eau d'Hiver for Editions des Parfums Frederic Malle. The aim was to create a light fragrance, inspired by the structuring of eau de cologne but creating an eau chaud (hot water) than cooling sensation of a classic cologne. In L'Eau d'Hiver heliotropin is almost reduced to its pure state for this purpose: fluffy, like a late afternoon cloud, salmon golden. Etro's Heliotrope is yummy, innocent and hazy, enveloping you in its comfort like a goose down duvet; it's no accident it's considered the finest representation of the note, coupled with white flowers for a light, floral, airy touch. Heliotrope Blanc by L.T Piver is charmingly more complex with a slightly naughtier note. Crown Perfumery also lists a Heliotrope amidst their wares, more restrained and balanced in its sweetness. Molinard makes a classic, simple Heliotrope in their line Les Senteurs, which highlights raw materials one by one.

 Several modern fragrances succumb to the charms of heliotrope, even when not featured in the name. In Kenzo Amour the heliotropin take is on the vanillic side, boosted by milky notes. In Love, Chloe we encounter the retro-smelling pairing of heliotropin and violet notes producing a powdery effect, reminiscent of makeup products. In Sicily by Dolce & Gabanna it provides the sweet anchoring of soapy aldehydes on top. In Lolita Lempicka eau de parfum heliotropin takes a anisic mantle and becomes a full-blown gourmand, while in the older Cacharel Loulou it's the comforting billowy background alongside tonka bean (with which it shares an almond and hay facet) and orris, producing a true floriental.


IFRA Concerns & Regulations

 Currently heliotropin is under reduced ratio of use in perfumery, according to IFRA regulations, because safrols in food have been proven to be carcinogenic and hepatotoxic. Therefore concerns about the inhaled and skin-absorbed quantity from scented products have resulted in a preventory measure, rationing heliotropin to much lower ratios than before. This may be why your favourite fragrance with heliotrope might start smelling less deep and almondy in the coming months or getting discontinued altogether (as happened with Jour de Fête already).

Fragrances containing prominent heliotrope notes

Ava Luxe Heliotrope
Avon Heliotrope
Barbara Bui Le Parfum
Boucheron Jaipur Homme
Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste
Cacharel Loulou
Caron Farnesiana
Chloe Love,Chloe
Crown Perfumery Heliotrope
D&G Feminine
Dolce & Gabanna Sicily
Etro Heliotrope
F.Malle L'Eau d'Hiver
Gucci Gucci Eau de Parfum (brown juice)
Guerlain Après L'Ondée
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Angelique Lilas
Guerlain Heliotrope extrait
Guerlain L'Heure Bleue
Guerlain Quand Vient la Pluie
Herve Leger eau de parfum
Kenzo Amour
Kenzo Flower le Parfum (red bottle)
Lalique Le Parfum
L'Artisan Parfumeur Jour de Fête
Lorenzo Villoresi Teint de Neige
L.T.Piver Heliotrope
Lolita Lempicka Lolita Eau de Parfum
Maitre Parfumeur Gantier Secrete Datura
Miller Harris Fleur Orientale
Molinard Les Senteurs Heliotrope
Oscar de la Renta Esprit d'Oscar
Oscar de la Renta Volupté
Patricia de Nicolai Kiss me Tender
Paul & Joe Blanc (by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena)
Philosophy Pure Grace
Santa Maria Novela Eliotropio
Serge Lutens Daim Blond
Serge Lutens Datura Noir
Trussardi Jeans for women

 heliotrope plant pic via factspage.blogspot.com, LHB bottle via guerlainhistoiredeparfums.wordpress.com

Wedding Bells: Perfume Ideas for Choosing the Perfect Fragrance to Get Married In

There's nothing worse than totally metamorphosing Kafkaesque-like into a different creature on your wedding day. Even though the temptation for many women (and a handful of men) to live their very own fairy tale seems insurmountable, try to resist it. Apart from all the other details that should correspond to the style of wedding you and your beloved choose, your respective fragrances should reflect an extension of your personality, exalted to its best, with just that extra little touch for marking the day as more special than any other. In perfume terms, that means your signature scent might be a little too predictable, even if perfect for you, necessitating to go the extra mile. A subtle twist might be just the thing to create an indelible mark on your beloved's memory and that special aura that will put you in the accompanying festive mood.

Source: via Vernetta on Pinterest

Another important, perhaps even more important, consideration is how your fragrance will mingle with the weather, the surroundings, the conditions in which you will be subjected to: Don't try to beat a Florida summer wedding with humidity tilting at 98% by wearing your beloved heavy oriental that was perfect back in wintertime Chicago. Don't subject your guests to gusts of soured juice coming off your bridal dress. Similarly, an over-ornate baroque composition might seem a little pretentious on a beach ceremony where you're appearing barefoot, and a meaningful exclusive niche might go amiss on a groom with no tie and no jacket. There's a reason why the Greek word ωραίος (synonym for "beautiful", but even more exalted to include intelligence and smarts in the mix) literally means "in good time" : synchronizing with your surroundings is considered the ne plus ultra of the elegant person.

This is also not the time nor the place to experiment with weird scents, hoping to pass off as more sophisticated than you are. Weddings are by their own nature a bit of a conservative occasion, a celebration of the ritualistic triumph over unconventionality, so there's only so much you can get away with. Perhaps another consideration for the bride especially is what flowers will the bouquet contain: you wouldn't want to drown out the delicate scent of roses with an overpowering resinous perfume as you wouldn't want to pair daisies with a bitter-tinged, very elegant chypre.
Above all, apply lightly, renew if need be in the middle of the reception, or plan ahead using the technique of layering body cream in a matching scent ~if available~ for long-lasting effects and don't give it too much fret and fuss. Perfume is supposed to be enjoyable, not stressful!

So, catering to different types (because come on, admit it, that's how all wedding planners guide you, don't they) I have come up with suggestions for scents for the ladies and the gentlemen on this precious path to a new life. Naturally, feel free to add your own, sample lots of things as soon as you decide on the date, bring your beloved along for the testing and allow perfume some time to mingle with your sensibilities and your skin before making any final decision. You will (hopefully) want to remember this scent for the rest of your life.

Source: shopruche.com via Lil on Pinterest

The Romantic Type

For the ladies: Chamade (Guerlain), Amoureuse (Parfums DelRae), Quel Amour (Annick Goutal), Drole de Rose (L'Artisan Parfumeur), vintage Diorissimo (Dior)
For the gents: Dior Homme (Dior), Habit Rouge (Guerlain),  Gaiac 10 (Le Labo)

Source: youtu.be via marhta on Pinterest

The Classic Type

For the ladies: Danger (Roja Dove), Chanel No.5, Caleche (Hermes), Antonia (Puredistance), Fleurs d'Oranger (Serge Lutens)

For the gents: Rive Gauche pour Homme (YSL), Derby (Guerlain), Cologne Bigarrade (F.Malle)

Source: stylemepretty.com via Abby on Pinterest

The Purist Type

For the ladies: Infusion d'Iris (Prada), L'Eau de Chloe (Chloe), Parfum d'Ete (Kenzo)
For the gents: Eau de Merveilles (Hermes), Eau de Guerlain (Guerlain), Cologne (Mugler)

Source: weddingchicks.com via yvaiine on Pinterest

The Adventurous Type

For the ladies: Diorling (Dior), Tiempe Passate (Antonia's Flowers), Bois des Iles (Chanel)
For the gents: Santal Blanc (Serge Lutens), Ormonde Man (Ormonde Jayne), Sycomore (Chanel)

Source: stylemepretty.com via Becca on Pinterest

The Casual Type

For the ladies: Pure White Linen (Lauder), Jennifer Aniston Eau de Parfum, Kenzo Amour
For the gents: Terre d'Hermes (Hermes), The pour un Ete (L'Artisan Parfumeur), Reverie au Jardin (Tauer), Philosykos (Diptyque)

Congratulations on your special day and may your scented memories accompany you for a lifetime together.

Dior Addict new commercial: And God Created Woman in st.Tropez

The line between homage and copy is subtle, though I admit I much rather prefer interpreting a classic film into modern protagonists than outright taking chunks straight out of old cinema and transposing it to modern commercials like they did with Delon and La Piscine for Eau Sauvage.



Here, for Dior Addict's new range of fragrances (comprising an Addict Eau Fraiche and Addict Eau Sensuelle), Daphné Groeneveld stars as the muse to a contemporary Roger Vadim...Interestingly enough, like the prototype, Brigitte Bardot herself, the girl's face isn't the prettiest thing about her, but her charm and very provocative wiles are.
The comparisons between the full almost 3 minutes director's cut with the original by Vadim are more apparent.



Music in the Dior commercial:"I love you, oh, no" di Stereo Total.

Tauer Perfumes Bottle Giveaway!

Tauer Perfumes need no introduction: Probably the most successful internet-stemming indie fragrance phenomenon which built sufficient word of mouth to become a deserved cult.

The niche brand from Switzerland to win fans all over the world is giving away a generous purse spray bottle of one of their most prized scents: Tableau de Parfums Dark Passage (perfume review here), the esoteric release in collaboration with Brian Pera and his "Only Child" film.
All you need to do to be eligible for the draw is leave a comment saying what is your favorite old-time movie and why/if it brings you any scented associations. Draw is open internationally until Thursday 28th June midnight. Draw is now closed, thank you!

I am honored to consider Andy a friend and it pleases me no end that apart from such a wonderful guy he's also such a talented creator. If you haven't explored the Tauer line so far, please refer to the reviews on Tauer fragrances on this link and then browse at his e-shop to your heart's delight; there's something for everyone. (oh and check evelynavenue.com for more news on the collaboration of the two men)

still from the film noir "To Have and Have Not" starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacallvia rockets-and-robots.blogspot.com

Interview with Vero Kern on her new fragrance Mito

Vero Kern of Vero Profumo, a true author's line, talks in English about the newest fragrance to launch soon, Mito; for info on the new scent please consult our announcement on these pages.


Thanks to Extrait.it for the video.

L'Artisan Parfumeur Drole de Rose: fragrance review

A little girl watching her mother putting on her make up, getting ready for a night out. Nivea cream scent (with its special bouquet of aromatic essences) and violet-laced, fluffy, retro powder. Soft musky roses floating on a cream bowl. Pink satin pointes with long silken ribbons ... This could be a recipe for tisane-sipping and Fabio-jacketed novels for spinsters off to bed at eight in their pink liseuses; it ticks all the predictable "romantic roses" boxes. But it's not. Drôle de Rose by L'Artisan Parfumeur manages to bypass the staid for the cheerful and the delicate and to render old new again. You just need a bit of an edge to turn this into the playful fragrance it really is and not into something from your grandmother's vanity.

Sweet Smell of Cosmetics
Comparable to the retro nuances of Lipstick Rose (Frederic Malle), whereas in the latter the overt sweetness and lusciousness can upset a sensitive stomach ~such is the speckled rouge approach~ in Drôle de Rose everything is painted like a light stain. Plus the L'Artisan came many years before, in 1996, pre-emptying a niche trend by far. Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti was remembering the formative images of her childhood and the scent of makeup plays hugely in such scenarios. The combination of rose & violet has become a classic in recreating this effect, since most lipsticks were typically further aromatized with these essences to render the wax's smell less obtrusive.

I call these "mock makeup perfumes", fragrances evocative of cosmetics, putting me in a made-up mood before even hitting the top of the By Terry trousse de makeup, which is something one can appreciate when too bored to do one's face. Out of these scents, some go for the pancake-makeup glamour of the 1940s, thicker and lusher, Technicolor; Lipstick Rose as well as Broadway Nite (Bond No.9) opt for that effect, retro glamorous pin-up. Others go for transparency and a super-soft, kittenish hint of fluffy ivory fur with a hint of violet pastilles; to that category I put Meteorites by Guerlain, Love,Chloe (parfums Chloe) and indeed Drôle de Rose.  Giacobetti's sleight of hand plays hugely into giving this L'Artisan perfume an elegantly retro air without becoming stuffy, too sweet (though it is sweet all right) or too old. She's known for her transparent, restrained approach after all. Don't expect dark, menacing secrets and deep, meaningful confessions either. This is out for fun, pure and simple.

Scent Description
Drôle de Rose is L'ArtisanParfumeur's flirty, undeniably pretty, playful starlet, who's really a good and dainty girl through and through. The rather untranslatable name rather means something like "amusing rose", in the vein of "witty". The softly powdery accord of violets and geranium (which has a rosy scent) is given a greener, fluffier tinge via the magic of star anise. The classic "lipstick scent accord" forms the core of the fragrance; made up, lips stained rosy, elegantly ladylike, sweetly appealing. The real pull however is how the flowers are given a honeyed approach, with a non indolic and yet non soapy orange blossom water, as if one is sprinkling macaroons; a powdery feel with the trickery of irones (iris); and last but not least how the musky drydown sticks around more (but doesn't project too much) than what one would initially expect when given enough heat on skin and in the atmosphere. Contrasted with the camphoraceous, woody darkness of Voleur de Roses (based on the murky rose and patchouli), one can see how the latter is meant for autumn and rainy weather, while Drôle de Rose really blooms in late spring and summer. 

Even though one would be tempted to reference Paris by Yves Saint Laurent in this review, I feel that the intricate and powerful, gleaming approach in that rose-violet combo is miles removed from anything else and ultimately is its own thing: Really, I wouldn't expect necessarily loving both that and the greener, lighter, less sparkling Drôle de Rose...If you want something similar, rather try Emilie by Fragonard.

Notes for L'Artisan Parfumeur Drole de Rose: rose, star anise, orange blossom, white iris, violet, almond, honey, leather

pic of a young Liz Taylor via chocolate-memoirs.blogspot.com

Guerlain Rose Nacree du Desert: fragrance review

Arabian perfumery is no stranger to the amorous coupling of rose with oud or saffron. Guerlain is no stranger to opulent florals with woody underpinnings highlighting their thorny beauty (just witness Nahema, a lush fruity rose and Rose Barbare, a chyprish, woody one). Imagining the two directions -Arabian & Guerlain- combined gives you an idea about how Rose Nacrée du Désert smells like. But that is only the beginning...

According to perfumer Thierry Wasser, Rose Nacrée du Désert is a mysterious fragrance one can lose their heart to, thanks to its very formula. "Mystery often comes from intense and deep notes such as patchouli or oakmoss. Chypre perfumes also can reveal a mysterious character because one can perceive notes which are sometimes woody, sometimes ambery or floral. And of course the more a fragrance makes us dream of far away lands, the more it is laden with mystery too!" This is why Wasser reveals he searched for a Persian rose that was difficult to harness and rendered even more cryptic thanks to its alchemical alliance to woody notes, such as oud and patchouli.

Rose and oud are a trend we're going to be seeing a LOT of in the coming season. Already there are quite a few perfumes with the exact combination (the ubiquitousness of oud notwithstanding), such as those below, as well as Midnight Oud (Juliette has a Gun), Rose Oud (Kilian), Rose d'Arabie (Armani), Mirroir des Voluptés (Thierry Mugler) or Portrait of a Lady (F.Malle) and we're going to witness even more.  Fine by me, as this gothic style of rose is simpatico to my sensibilities (I told you I had trouble with liking too prim or Victorian roses, didn't I? This is why the rose-patchouli dewy woodiness of Voleur de Roses is among my favorite rose fragrances.)

from L to R: Oud Ispahan (Dior, 2012), Velvet Rose & Oud (Jo Malone, 2012), Rose Nacrée du Désert (Guerlain, 2012), Al Buraq, by Al Haramain.

Arguably therefore the less "original" in the trio (vaguely reminiscent of Amouage Epic for Women for its treatment of rose and oud) Rose Nacrée du Désert,  Guerlain's take at the Damask rose and oud combination, is at once dusky and velvety, gothic, dusty and with a beautiful sheen like hammered gold. The sweetness is pervading, even more than the previous Déserts d'Orient examples, with nuances of loukhoum rosewater and copra powder enrobing the yummy delicacy.
The mouth-watering gourmand quality is very Guerlain; rose and sugar are eager bedfellows with passionate results. The woodiness of patchouli and oud are brimming with promises of sensuous adventures in a land of buried treasures in the sand; full of mystery, full of languor.

The Guerlain perfume bottles of Les Deserts d'Orient are adorned with Arab-cript calligraphy down one side, the French names down the other side. They are the tall, architectural style of the collection L'Art et la Matière with the antique gold overlay on the sides holding 75ml of perfume. The concentration of the fragrances is Eau de Parfum for tenacity. Prices are set for 190euros/AED990 per bottle. The perfume is available exclusive in the UAE and the Guerlain flagship store. Also via the connections of Wim in Parfumerie Place Vendome in Brussels.

still from Pretty in Pink by John Hughes starring Molly Ringwald via jbtaylor.typepad.com/
pic of bottles of various brands in middle by parfums-tendances-inspirations.com

Guerlain Songe d'un Bois d'Ete: fragrance review

Songe d' un Bois d'Été is perfumer Thierry Wasser's offer to the chthonian deities, a prophylactic philter for safekeeping from all miasmata. Simply wonderful rendition of the oud/aoudh perfume raw material, with none of the synthetic Band-Aid note that often creeps us in modern compositions touting the precious essence as a protagonist, Songe d' un Bois d'Été (i.e. Dreaming of a Summery Wood, part of Les Deserts d'Orient trio) is balanced and magnificent from all angles and can become a special man's ~or a woman's who loves woody somber compositions~ scented amulet.

Straddling the line between contemporaneous sensibilities and antique exotic traditions, it has the patina of aged woods and bronze artifacts hiding in some cave in the desert, yet its Frenchiness is undeniably there too; its exceptional craftsmanship is immediately evident, its restrained balance the work of experienced hands and a Swiss organized mind. You can read Guerlain in the fine print, even if the capitalization is in Arab calligraphy. There is no excess, no overindulgence, but an ornate "abaya" cloth which hints at the contours it hides, an oil painting in saturated burnished tones. Like Encens Mythique d'Orient, it proves Wasser's maturity and heralds good things for Guerlain.

The most Arabian-inspired in the newest Guerlain trio, this intensely woody fragrance smells alternatively parched and sweetish, revealing different facets throughout the duration on the skin; somewhat medicinal at times too, yes, but with smiling mien following the sobriety, like dark leathers laid in the sun underneath hanging dried herbs (I smell laurel and myrtle). Indeed the opening of Songe d' un Bois d'Été is balmy, pinching the nose with its herbal, aromatic, sunny quality, balancing the powerful woody elements of oud and leather pungency to follow. There is an indeterminate spicy, ashy-green segment, reminiscent of crushed cardamom pods that enter Arabian coffee and chocolate desserts (indeed a hint of chocolate can be attributed to the rising of patchouli from the base) and a stamen or two of leathery saffron (reminiscent of the treatment in Cuir de Lancome).
Mingling with the aromatic top notes, this spiciness provides the piquancy needed to lift the composition. The progression is somber, diffusive and saturated, (burnished cedar and Iso-E Super take a big percentage of the formula), with intense notes of oud chips burning (the note is reminiscent of the Mona di Orio perfumes oud ingredient), myrrh resin and lush jasmine sambac; the latter lightly sweetens the proceedings with its narcotic floral facets. Not necessarily the most innovative or driest leather fragrance (that would be Guerlain's Djedi), nor the greatest woody to ever come out of the house (that distinction probably belongs to Derby), but it is so carefully composed one can't help but admire it.

Songe d' un Bois d'Été is that rare thing: an predominantly oud wood fragrance that doesn't need to be unpleasant and bitter to tout its exoticism, to mark its seal of connoisseurship, to establish itself as niche. It simply exhales quality and mastery all around and is a delightful addition to any discerning perfume wardrobe. Admittedly a little bit masculine for most women''s tastes, but none the worse for it.



The Guerlain perfume bottles of Les Deserts d'Orient are adorned with Arab-cript calligraphy down one side, the French names down the other side. They are the tall, architectural style of the collection L'Art et la Matière with the antique gold overlay on the sides holding 75ml of perfume. The concentration of the fragrances is Eau de Parfum for tenacity. Prices are set for 190euros/AED990 per bottle. The perfume is available exclusive in the UAE and the Guerlain flagship store. Also via the connections of Wim in Parfumerie Place Vendome in Brussels.

Painting by Corrodi Hermann David Salomon, Arab Carpet Merchants

Olfactive Studio Lumiere Blanche: new fragrance

Olfactive Studio is a niche brand of quiet quality founded by Celine Verleuve and becoming a Facebook phenomenon, producing fragrances that create inquisitiveness and the desire to explore. Encased in simple style bottles with handwritten-font labels, they highlight the juice inside; artistic, original and bold in personality, their tag line is "inspired perfumes".

 

A mild and enveloping perfume, Lumière Blanche is their latest offering; a comforting cocoon, between milky mildness and cold spices. It evokes the sweltering heat from the sun at the zenith, which erases colors, leaving only a blending white hue; it surprises with its spicy freshness.

 For its creator, perfumer Sidonie Nacesseur from Robertet, " Lumière Blanche is a fragrance with beautifully contrasting hot and cold notes", a whirlwind of light and freshness followed by milky mildness and a distinct, warm and sensual end note.
 Top notes are cardamom, cinnamon and star anise; middle notes are iris, cashmere wood and almond; base notes are musk, sandalwood, cedar and tonka bean.

 Available in Eau de Parfum concentration in bottles of 100ml/3.4oz.

Watch an interview with Celine Verleuve (in English) on previous releases of the brand.

Guerlain L'Heure Bleue 2012 Centenary Edition: the 100th Anniversary of a Classic

100 years ago...One beautiful late afternoon in 1912, Jacques Guerlain felt something so intense that he could only express it in a perfume. L'Heure Bleue was born in honor of that uncertain hour of dusk suspended in time.

 

 The centenary of this iconic fragrance is celebrated by Guerlain with a special edition. The Baccarat maison are responsible for the crystal and the house of Gripoix for the bijou adorning the neck of the special 2012 edition extrait de parfum Guerlain is issuing in celebration of their timeless classic.

L'Heure Bleue is offered in the emblematic "quadrilobe" bottle (penis gland cap and all!) ~created in 1908 for the Guerlain perfume Rue de la Paix and subsequently housing almost all the fragrances of the house~ in this year's Special Anniversary Edition. Exceptionally blue, deep and magnetic, dyed by the artisans at Baccarat. Blown, cut, polished and engraved by hand, this giant bottle of 490 ml of extrait captures the emotion of a dazzling work of art craft and is offered as a unique memento of the magical hour, enhanced this time by a unique jewel. This jewel on the neck of the flacon was designed exclusively by the House of Gripoix. It depicts a bunch of violets in molten glass crystal ciselé in 24-carat gold, wrapped around the neck of the bottle to twinkle in the dusk. L'Heure Bleue, dressed as a shower of stars, is revealed in an elegant leather case.

 A reformulation (not necessarily a bad thing, seeing as L'Heure Bleue has been dramatically changed in the recent batches) is under way too for the new coffret, offering a new 2012 edition in Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Extrait de Parfum. Thierry Wasser offers a new version: The powdery base notes are irresistibly endearing, as the L'Heure Bleue lovers like them so much. Under his leadership, the scent is sweet, illuminated with new freshness and modernity. The white musk mingles with iris. Heliotrope is combined with orange blossom accents to make it more marshmallow-like, powdery but with a gourmand note like a veil.
The old version will be still available alongside the centenary editions in all concentrations for the fans.

Thanks to Sylvaine Delacourte for her information on the new edition. 

Vero Profumo Mito: new fragrance

“The warm air is pervaded by a pleasant sensation of white flowers, jasmine and newly blooming magnolias, garlands of moist moss, aromatic leaves and proud cypresses. Slowly the fragrance rises. Up, up, higher and higher still, to join, all of a sudden, the crystalline jets gushing in the fountains and resting on the mirrors of water in the garden. Millions of miniscule water particles intertwine to create a shining, perfumed veil that rests on the cold marble shoulders of countless statues: gods, nymphs, fauns, dragons and mermaids. Time has stood still in the garden: yesterday is today is tomorrow."


 This is how perfumer Vero Kern presents her newest fragrance (after the masterful Kiki, Onda and Rubj in extrait and in eau de parfum), Mito, a white floral with green, mossy and freshly spicy nuances. Mito is out for launch later in the year.

Illustration:   Sofo Berdzenishvili.

Lady Gaga Fame Black Fluid: new perfume (or When Gaga Goes to One's Head)

Lady Gaga, no stranger to provocation and shock-value has released her first celebrity scent. As you remember we had commented on the initial rumours surrounding Lady Gaga's celebrity scent. But now she has slipped some facts about it on Twitter and an over-enthusiastic fashion editor has also leaked photos of the bottle on the Net. So here it is, Fame Black Fluid by Lady Gaga!

Created in collaboration with Haus Laboratories in Paris, the ad copy of the perfume, mentioning "weird" and "rare" ingredients, is a meta-commentary on the contemporary flowery prose that pertains to new fragrance releases.
We've got Tears of Belladonna, the crushed heart of Tiger Orchidea, with a black veil of incense, pulverised apricot and the combinative essences of saffron and honey drops...the works!

click to enlarge

Another interesting aspect is how the perfume is technologically manipulated to be black in the bottle, yet turn to  invisible once it's airborne. The structure also defies any classical fragrance pyramid structuring, letting the ingredients reveal several different facets prismatically at the same time. The concentration is eau de parfum.
The bottle doesn't look too bad, that metal claw thing on top a menacing touch, though it could be a little awkward while using to spray.

All in all, sounds just like the thing from Lady Gaga! And, might I inject, much better than "smelling like an expensive hooker"...

Guerlain Encens Mythique d'Orient: fragrance review

The main criticism upon announcing the news on the Arabian inspired triptych by Guerlain, affectionately termed "Les Deserts d'Orient", has been that should this exclusive-laced foray into Middle Eastern market tastes prove successful, it would herald a stop to French companies offering "French-smelling" perfumes. Having the privilege of savoring the new fragrances at leisure, thanks to the generosity of my Middle East readers, I'm in the happy position to let you know this is not the case and wouldn't be, if Guerlain continues in the direction they've taken with Encens Mythique d'Orient especially. The perfume is redolent of the splendor and richness of the east, yes, but it firmly holds on the patrimonies of the west as well, translating as a very decadent, European-geared animalic oriental with mossy proclivities.

 

 It comes as a sort of an exquisite shock to see that whereas Guerlain new head perfumer Thierry Wasser had been taxed with selling Guerlain short in the first couple of releases under his name -which were baptism by fire for him- he has proven now that he's capable of both refinement and modernization without eschewing tradition (as in the solar floral Lys Soleia) as well as in offering the baroque treatment with the taste for exquisite balance and quality for which Guerlain perfumes had become famous the world over. Much like Shalimar, Mitsouko or Vol de Nuit before it, Encens Mythique d'Orient is inspired by exoticism but it retains at heart a core of tradition which distinguishes it from upstarts to the throne (Montale etc.) Wasser has found a balance between what the Arabs will find somewhat familiar, yet tinged with the desirable Franco-laced "western cachet" and what the Westerners, flocking to the flagship boutique on Champs Elysees for precious juice, will find inspired by the 1001 Nights.

 Even though Encens Mythique d'Orient is allegedly inspired by frankincense, there is little of the ecclesiastical citrus-laced, terpenic smoke we have come to associate with high mass or niche fragrances aimed at aficionados of this pious, somber ambience. Rather ambergris is the real protagonist, in what smells like a real tincture of the rare greyish matter, with all its nutty, buttery, smoky and salty intimate nuances intact, blooming on the skin like a hundred kisses from the soft lips of a handsome sheik. The mood is animalic, sexy, decadent and very "there" without becoming skanky or vulgar, though I expect hyper-sensitive to intimate acts of pleasure individuals upon smelling it will be clutching their pudenda self-consciously pronto.

 Guerlain gives what incense is there the Guerlain treatment (with a nod to Lutens as well) and weaves richness and depth in their typical patisserie way, full of billows of raw materials which fuse East and West into an amalgam, a tapestry with a million themes. The opening of Encens Mythique is reminiscent of retro shaving foam, part retro fern-like and mossy, part musky sweet, with a very decadent, rich feel to it that stems from an oriental Damask rose. The rosiness is allied to saffron, a classical combination that exalts the bittersweet facets of the spice into a warm embrace. But it is the coalescence of ambergris and muskiness which "makes" the perfume a true Guerlain and at the same time a reverie into the Middle East.

 The sillage and lasting power are great; you certainly get your buck's worth in investing in this fragrance. I'm smitten!

 

The Guerlain perfume bottles of Les Deserts d'Orient are adorned with Arab-cript calligraphy down one side, the French names down the other side. They are the tall, architectural style of the collection L'Art et la Matière with the antique gold overlay on the sides holding 75ml of perfume. The concentration of the fragrances is Eau de Parfum for tenacity. Prices are set for 190euros/AED990 per bottle. The perfume was aimed to be available exclusively in the UAE and the Guerlain flagship store. Also via the connections of Wim in Parfumerie Place Vendome in Brussels, and in the UK in Harrods for 160GBP.

 Painting by Norman Lindsay, Languor or the Pink Drape (1934)

Everything's Coming Up Roses: How the Rose is Making a Comeback

"In recent years, the flower came to seem outdated to some in the cosmetics industry. “It was because of tea roses,” said Ben Krigler, creator at Krigler perfumes in New York, which was founded by his great-great-grandfather in 1904. “They were popular in the ’50s and ’60s, but they’re really a hybrid. That’s where you get that musty, powdery smell. We call it the ‘granny smell’ in the shop.”

 Indeed the rose has been through a lot. I have had my own share of troubles with rose and then I came around. Now rose is making a come-back and there are quite a few perfumes and beauty products featuring it. (I can vouch personally for the delicious scent of Korres Wild Rose face cream which is aromatized with rosa moschata or "musky rose")

 Read the article in the New York Times for more.

 

Jean Paul Gaultier Classique: fragrance review & history

Uncanningly similar to the dressmaker's dummy bottle of Shocking by Schiaparelli (1935), a powerful and iconic animalic oriental of a long lost era, fashion's enfant terrible Jean Paul Gaultier began his career in perfumes with his own -originally eponymous (1993), later renamed Classique- Schocking copy bottle, that hid a floriental of intense sweetness and powderiness. The inspiration for Gaultier was his beloved and -we surmiss- glamorous grandmother's vanity with its vats of face powder and nail polish remover smelling of acetone. Interestingly the perfume however plays with this perception of femininity in nuanced ways which defy an accurate transliteration. Despite all that, it's a perfume I can't really stomach, but it deserves its own analysis.

Eye-Catching Looks for Classique
But it is the bottle and presentation that will go down in history, originally in a pink metal corset, later given a frosted glass costume over the smooth glass body of the bottle, so to speak; and then given all kind of variations in all the colours and patterns of the rainbow for limited editions and summer flankers. The box gives an avant-garde touch; like shipped cargo, functional and brown-beige, while the bottle is encased inside the box in a metal can, "like the ones for cat food at the supermarket", as Gaultier put it. Meow....
The commercials were equally eye-catching and memorable, with variations on the theme of femininity, conceived by master image creator Jean Baptiste Mondino to the soundtrack of Casta Diva from Bellini's Norma, as sung by Maria Callas.

Interestingly, if we're to examine the feminist and cultural subtext of the perfume visuals, the Jean Pauls Gaultier commercials themselves have become markedly tamer and tamer as the years went by, reflecting a more sedate "sexy" view of femininity, a conservative retake on the mistress which marks her man's memory with her perfume (alongside her corset and high heels; a panoply of restrictive femme gear that places woman on the pedestral of an object) Contrast with the eclectic bunch of sui generis characters sharing one common element: their love for JPG perfume from two decades ago. Or the apogee of quirkiness in a gay gender playing game in the combined commercials for Le Male and Classique from 2002.
Even the models were quirkier looking back then (Eve Salvail with her trademark shaved head, Kristen McMenamy with her irregular features...to the predictable beauty of Michelle Buswell) and we're just talking about nothing further than the 1990s.


Alice Classique commercial from 1995


Le Diner Classique commercial from 1997


Classique & Le Male commercial from 2002

Scent Description
The opening of Classique is rich in mandarin orange, peach, plum and cassis (a synthetic base that recaretes a berry/currant note), sherbety and sparkling-waxy thanks to the sheen provided by decanal (aldehyde C10), a characteristic element in the archetype No.5. The metaphor of nail polish is made through benzyl acetate, possessing jasmine-like and pear-drops notes. The heart is predictably rosy like the hue of the juice inside, with powerful cinnamic roses and damascones (synthesized molecules that give off intensely rosy-fruity tonalities) given an even fatter nuance by the inclusion of orange flower and ylang ylang, indolic and lushly sweet. A faint hint of spice is accounted by lily and ginger, but it's weak to really characterise the composition as a spicy floral; it resolutely stays within the sweet fruity floral with a wink to the floriental direction.
It is imperative that one loves powdery nuances in fragrances to like Classique, as the quite powdery base is built on a contrast of woody-amber Ambrox with vanillin, the two building to epic proportions of  intense diffusion. A little orris note opens an interesting discourse of dryness in the base, beneath the amber-vanilla there is a musky-earthy footnote with a hint of animal; perhaps an ironic meta-comment on Shocking itself by perfumer Jacques Cavallier? Not enough, hidden under the syrup...




Le Boudoir Classique commercial from 2007


L'Appartment Classique commercial from 2009

The Perfumer's References & the Zeitgeist
Cavallier did cite classics, such as Chanel No.5, within the formula but interjected modern elements as well resulting in what proved to be a contemporary commercial hit. You might be forgiven for thinking Classique is va-va-voom material, only it is so for those people who can't help being a bit too flamboyant. For all its intensity and almost cloying fruitiness, it escaped the seal of "powerhouse" that Dior's Poison or CK Obsession bore in the previous decade. The era was ripe for a disruptive aesthetic so  the blinding paleness of aquatics and the surypy element of "fruities" led this dance.

JPG's Classique consolidated its place by playing upon an idea that had already found its culmination in Lancome's Tresor in 1990: The peachy rosiness of Sophia Grosjman's modern classic had been the building block upon which a thousand beauty products from lotions and hair products to fine fragrance and fabric softener followed. Tresor's formula has plenty to admire in, but perhaps it's too ubiquitous to claim one's own. But whereas Tresor achieves the perilous balance of naturally lush bosom kept under decorum thanks to its solid perfume structure, Classique for all its rosy girlishness shows rather too much nipple for my taste.

Top Favorite Smells for Britons

Smell associations admittedly have to do with environmental and generational factors: what we like and consider pleasant today is what shaped us in our childhood. And that has to do with both the culture we grew up in as well as the time period in which our childhood was spent. Thus for instance people in the baby boom generation and beyond have played with Play-Doh plasteline and find it a comforting reference (hence Demeter's PlayDoh fragrance!) while people growing up in farms in the 1920s and 1930s cite fertiliser and big balls of hay as the quintessential memory triggers.



In new research focusing on Britons in the here and now several interesting facts emerged. Of course the research was commissioned by Vileda, a company of home-cleaning products, so take what you read with that in mind. Lindsey Taylor, from Vileda commented: 'Comfort smells associated with the home, such as Sunday roasts and fresh linen, make us happy and by keeping your home clean and fresh you will make sure that they are not drowned out by bad smells like kitchen bins and piles of washing up in the sink."

Aside from that, not coincidentally again the nostalgic smells of childhood (when it's a happy one, of course) bring the most contentment to people: freshly-washed linen, home baking, cut grass on the lawn and the domestic scent of Sunday roast. "Bacon was an unsurprising high-scorer, while more unexpected popular scents in the Vileda Cleaning Report included hairspray, leather, coal, petrol and chalk dust.[...] Participants named aftershave, beer and fresh paint as the smells that reminded them of their fathers, while perfume, Sunday roasts and freshly washed sheets triggered memories of mothers.[...] Among the scents which associated with the older generation of grandmothers were soap, lavender and musky perfumes.Wood smoke, pipe smoke and strong aftershaves brought back memories of grandfathers in times gone by and do not appear in the list of favourite modern-day smells.

The list of Britain's Top Favorite Smells runs thus: 
1.Cut grass
2.Aftershave
3.Freshly cleaned house
4.Baking
5.Sunday roast
6.Fresh flowers
7.Fresh linen
8.Hairspray
9.Bacon
10.Leather

Read more on the Daily Mail

pic via motifake.com

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia: fragrance review

A warm, sandy beach...soaking up the rays, you rest sprawled in a deckchair, your hand hanging down in the shadowy spot beneath it, idly caressing the sugar-spun grain...kicked off sandals nearby...a faint hint of tropical flowers and suntan lotion in the breeze...and the world sits still for a while. This summer fantasy leads to soothing thoughts and sensual imaginings and it's all the fault of Guerlain's Lys Soleia, I'm convinced! An interplay between light and shadow, between heat and , basking in the afterglow.

Guerlain had the brilliant idea to offer something for casual wearing and younger dispositions around 1999, the Aqua Allegoria line. Incongruent, with agile, ambrosial specimens alongside undoubtably acrylic painting flops, the line has thankfully picked up in the last couple of seasons (for instance see Guerlain Jasminora ) and Lys Soleia, the latest fragrance in the collection, is among the clear winners.

As announced previously, Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia is centered around a semi-fresh, semi-tropical floral composition, which reproduces the sensuous aroma of oriental yellow lilies and the regal white lily. The treatment is initially leaning into the delicious tannning lotion aroma of classic European favorite Ambre Solaire, with a tangy hint of citrus ling-a-ling (and Guerlain is no stranger to great citrus, just witness Shalimar Light), rich in salicylates and the tropical floral note of ylang ylang as well as the greener part of the tuberose plant, heady and sensual. Lys Soleia is taking a page off both Guerlain's own Terracotta Sous le Vent dry oil and the green-powdery-lily strewn Vanille Galante in the Hermessences series by Hermes with its delicate veil of vanilla. The spicy touch of lily is nicely peppered, biting gently, bridging the gap between lily and ylang ylang. This tender and very temperately sweet fragrance doesn't really lose its sensuous tropical flower feel upon drying down on the skin, but enhances the muskiness of warmed skin and light creamy vanillic nuances.

Perfume enthusiasts who like Nuxe Parfum Prodigieux, Cartier Baiser Vole, Serge Lutens Un Lys and Hermes Vanille Galante are advised to try it; it shares kindred DNA. But so are lovers of feminine tropical florals who don't want oppressive clobber-you-down tiare re-runs smelling cheap. Lys Soleia smells eerily familiar and at the same time freshly renewed, with a delicacy and balance of composition that denotes true Guerlain mastery. Perfumer Thierry Wasser proves he can carry the baton after all. Who would have thought he'd do it with an Aqua Allegoria?

Available at major department stores £37/€51 for 75ml

 pic via simplewishes.tumblr.com

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche, Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle, Dior Addict Eau de Parfum: new fragrances

Three new fragrances in the Dior Addict stable arrive in June 2012.  "Fashion label Christian Dior is introducing its Dior Addict fragrance line through a comprehensive social media push that includes a Facebook application, four social videos and a Twitter hashtag campaign to push the upcoming “Addict to Love” film." reports Luxury Daily. You can find the teasers below.

 Composed by in-house perfumer Francois Demachy, they promise to present lighter (or more intense, if possible!) interpretations of the original Dior Addict.

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche (freesia woody)
"Luminous, glittery fragrance full of freshness and desire..."

 Notes: bergamot, grapefruit freesia, white lotus, pomegranate woody notes, white musk

 Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle (rose floral)
"Soft, floral composition for a natural and sensual woman. A very personal fragrance..."

 Notes: rose oil, rose absolute rose essential oil, jasmine, white musk, cedar

 Dior Addict Eau de Parfum (modern oriental)
"Dior Addict is a promise..."

 Notes: silk blossom, mandarin wood queen of the night vanilla

 The new collection has the added bonus of being available in small size bottles of 20ml (perfect for carrying in one's purse) starting from 45 euros for Eau Fraiche and Eau Sensuelle and from 47 euros for Eau de Parfum.